Connection & Manager Success:

How to develop a connected workforce and set

first-time managers up for success

By Sharlyn Lauby, SHRM-SCP

commissioned by:
About the Author

Sharlyn Lauby is an author, writer, speaker and

consultant. She has been named a Top HR Digital
Influencer and is best-known for her work on HR
Bartender, a friendly place to talk about workplace issues.
HR Bartender has been recognized as one of the Top 5
Blogs read by HR professionals by the Society for Human
Resource Management (SHRM) and best business blog
by the Stevie Awards.

Publications such as Reuters, The New York Times, ABC

News, and The Wall Street Journal, have sought out
her expertise on topics related to human resources
and the workplace. Sharlyn is the author of ”Manager
Onboarding: 5 Steps for Setting New Leaders Up for
Success” and “The Recruiter’s Handbook: A Complete
Guide for Sourcing, Selecting, and Engaging the Best
Talent”, which are available in the SHRM Store.

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 What is the
“Connected Workforce?”

The Connected Workforce

The Manager’s Role

as “Connector”

Engagement versus
Manager Onboarding
Connection

The Connected Manager Implementation Tips

Table of Contents
The Connected Organization Evaluating Success

References

References & Additional

Resources

Additional Resources

About MindManager

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Engagement versus Connection

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Engagement versus Connection

While employee engagement is important, organizations continue to struggle

with significantly moving the needle in a positive direction. The latest Gallup
research shows only a small percentage increase in the “engaged” workforce
(34%). And it’s true, any increase is a good thing. But the same data shows that
53% of workers are “not engaged” and another 13% are “actively disengaged”,
meaning that 69% (two-thirds) of employees are not engaged in any way.
Organizations have to look for new strategies to create a connection between
employees and their work.

The key word being “connection”. It’s time for organizations to realize that the
goal isn’t necessarily engagement. It’s connection. And creating a connected
workplace will yield the benefits that the organization and the employee are
looking for. Employee engagement becomes the end result of creating a
connected workforce.

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The Connected Workforce

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The Connected Workforce

Let’s back up and talk for a moment about employee engagement. When we
think about employee engagement, we often talk about employees being
engaged with their work or their position or the company. The employee is
engaged with something.

Connection is about all of those same things — the work, the company, and the
team. But in a connected workplace, the connections happen all at the same
time. Employees are connected to their work and the company, but also with
other people such as their co-workers. Think of connection as the internet of
things (IoT) for workplaces. For those readers not familiar with the IoT concept,
it’s a technology term used to represent a system of connected devices that
exchange data for improving overall performance. An example is when we can
use our phones, watches, apps, etc. to monitor a security system.

There are three things that could help organizations create a connected
workplace. Let’s call them the 3 Ts of a connected workforce — tasks, tech,
and team. If building a connected workforce were a Venn diagram,
it would look something like this:

Task
THE CONNECTED
WORKFORCE

check-circle
Team Technology

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 1. Tasks: Of course, the employee needs to be connected to the work they do.
This doesn’t mean that there won’t be some job responsibilities they favor more
than others. That happens everywhere. But the idea is that, overall, employees
enjoy their work and feel that when they do their job well, they are connected
Task with and contributing to the organization.

2. Technology: Today’s technology solutions allow employees to use

technology to make their work (i.e. tasks) easier. Technology can reduce steps in
a process. It can supply information that would be otherwise unavailable (and
do it in real-time!) Technology can also be used as a communication tool to
check-circle keep the flow of information going and maybe optimize efficiency. To learn
how MindManager helps employees connect and managers communicate,
see page 24.
Team Technology
3. Team: Even when an employee is an individual contributor, it’s necessary
to get the work done with others. Employees need to be connected with their
manager and colleagues. Of course, this happens directly through face-to-face
meetings and one-on-ones. But employees can also build connection with
others by using technology.

It’s important to note that by talking about a connected workforce, we’re not
saying employee engagement isn’t important. It is. Connection and engagement
are different, but related. One thing is for certain when it comes to connection
and engagement: Managers play a key role in making connection and
engagement possible.

According to Gallup, 70% of the variance in engagement is based on the

manager. This means that for managers to have a positive impact on employee
engagement, they need to know how to create “connections” within the
organization. Managers need to become “connectors”.

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The Connected Manager

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The Connected Manager

Managers wear many hats in the organization. But one of the most •With their boss, the manager takes on a different but equally
important, if not the most important, is the role of establishing important role. They’re responsible for setting their own
connection. There are three distinct levels of connection that performance goals then performing at an acceptable standard.
managers are exposed to every day. They will be coached and receive feedback about their work. In
addition, they might provide information, data, and expertise to
• With employees, managers are key stakeholders during the the organization.
hiring process and then in building a working relationship with
new employees. They are responsible for setting performance For managers to be effective connectors, they need the knowledge
expectations with employees, offering coaching and mentoring, and resources to do it well. Starting Day One. Organizations do this
as well as learning and development support. for new hires through orientation, onboarding, and subsequent
learning and development opportunities. They can do the same
• With colleagues, a manager is part of establishing a sense of team. thing by creating a manager onboarding program that allows
This is a team that is different from the one they have with their managers to understand their role as a “connector”.
direct reports. They are expected to be a good collaborator and
team member, providing support and information, to help the In organizations of every size, there can be a gap in the information
group achieve their goals and objectives. being provided to new managers before they officially step into
their roles. For example, in a large company, there might be an

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excellent leadership skills development program. These types of programs cover
skills such as problem solving, prioritization, decision making, handing difficult
conversations, etc. It’s also possible that large organizations offer some sort of
new manager orientation program.

On the other side of the spectrum, smaller companies might not have the
benefit of a customized (and fully funded) leadership development program
let alone a basic supervisory skills program for new managers. Managers in a
smaller organization might learn their role via the “sink or swim” approach. That
is, they are expected to succeed by their own efforts or simply fail completely.

In both scenarios, there’s a gap that needs filling if new managers will have
the best chance for success. The gap is focused on clearly defining the role
of manager in and of itself. Unfortunately, many managers on their first day
are operating as a high performing individual contributor because they were
promoted for their technical expertise. And there’s nothing wrong with that
except that the manager’s success is no longer dependent on their prowess in
previous tasks. Instead, their performance is dependent on their ability to act
as a “connector” for their team members — between each other, their work
content, and the larger organization.

The way a manager becomes a connector is by understanding their new

role in the organization. And the role of a manager is to hire and train their
replacement. Granted, it’s not going to happen overnight. The process takes
time. But if managers understand their role, and they strive to do it well, then it
encourages them to learn the art of delegation.

• Delegation allows managers to spend more time on building people

connections.
• People connections like with their employees, teams, colleagues, and boss.
• Those connections will result in managers getting the information and
resources to be better managers. It’s a cycle.

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Manager Onboarding

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Manager Onboarding
The goal of a manager onboarding program should be to help
managers learn how to build and maintain connections. That means
the key to program success involves aligning the program with the
qualities of a connected workforce — task, technology, and team.

TASK: Managers need to know and become proficient in the five

principles of management: 1) planning, 2) organizing, 3) staffing,
4) directing, and 5) controlling. These principles aren’t the same
as the topics covered during leadership skills development. Nor
should they be. Both are important and necessary in their own
way. Managers need to use the principles of management on a
daily basis to support the operation.

Each of the five functions require strong communication skills, which

allows the manager to continue building connections. Common
examples include being knowledgeable on how to conduct proper
interviews. This allows a manager to staff their areas of responsibility
and build connections with future employees. Also, having skills in
project management would make the manager able to effectively plan
activities or direct resources that help the organization achieve a goal.

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TECHNOLOGY: Managers need to know how to use the technology that helps
conduct everyday business. The type of technology can vary depending on
the industry or department. For instance, it might be an extension of current
communications software (like adding “chat” to the company’s email system)
thereby increasing the manager’s overall communication effectiveness. Or it
could be collaboration centered, allowing the manager to work with each team
member (as well as with each other).

In addition, managers will want to be able to identify new technologies that

could improve the functions of management — either by making them cheaper,
faster, or better quality. A manager might be able to test a technology to see if it
meets the organization’s goal of creating greater workplace connections. But it
takes having a well-developed understanding in order to do so.

TEAM: Managers must be able to motivate the team around tasks and
technology. They need to be able to explain the WIIFM (“What’s in it for me?”),
how the task or technology works, and evaluate an employee’s performance. In
addition, they should be able to mitigate challenges and keep the team focused
and encourage.

While this white paper is focused on managers, we can’t lose sight of the fact
that managers must play a support role and encourage employees to start
building their own connections. It’s this type of support and coaching role that
allows managers to delegate and achieve their role purpose of finding and
training their replacement.

There are three benefits to focusing a management development program

on the manager’s role as a connector. The first is the employee who is the
recipient of the manager’s support and coaching. The employee learns, grows,
and becomes someone who can accept future responsibilities. The second
is the manager because their actions allow them time to take on special
projects or gain exposure in new areas. All activities necessary for future career
development. The third and final benefit is to the company. They’ve created a
connected workplace where everyone is focused on learning and growth.

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Implementation Tips for Your
Manager Onboarding Program

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Implementation Tips for Your Manager Onboarding Program

There’s a famous line in the movie “Field of Dreams” where Kevin Costner’s
character hears a voice that says, “If you build it, they will come.” That might
happen in the movies, but it’s not always the case when it comes to training and
development programs. Instead of leaving implementation to chance, put some
proven strategies in place to ensure success.

Take a project management approach. Before launching into a full-blown

instructional design project, consider taking a high-level view and creating
a project plan. This gives the organization an opportunity to think about the
project team who will be responsible for designing and implementing the
onboarding program as well as the resources necessary for implementation.
The SMART acronym can be used as a roadmap for the project. SMART stands
for specific, measurable, actionable, responsible, and timebound.

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Each stakeholder can have a copy of the plan handy. They can bring it to meetings
to make sure it’s being followed. And if adjustments need to be made, then they
can update the existing plan.

Use a proven instructional design method. There are many different types of
instructional design models. You can use whichever one you’re most comfortable
with. If you don’t have a favorite, check out the ADDIE model. Created at
Florida State University for military training programs, ADDIE is an acronym for
Assessment / Design / Development / Implementation / Evaluation. It can walk
you through the design steps, so you don’t miss anything.

Test the program before launching it company-wide. Pilot groups provide an

opportunity to show the program to a small group before an official launch. The
pilot group participants can offer some feedback into what works well and areas
for improvement. They can also serve as a first level of buy-in for the program. If
pilot group participants like the program, they will tell others because they had
a hand in the program’s design process. Pilot groups also give the trainers or
facilitators a safe zone to try out activities and work out any delivery challenges.

Have a program maintenance plan. On the surface, this might not seem like
an implementation tip, but it is. The last thing anyone wants is to implement a
program and then have the content become out of date — something that can
quickly happen given the frantic pace of change. During the project management
and instructional design steps, discuss who will be responsible for identifying
out-of-date content as well as who will be responsible for updates. It will also be
necessary to outline a process for revising the program and communicating any
changes to key stakeholders.

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Evaluating the Success of Your
Manager Onboarding Program

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Evaluating the Success of Your Manager Onboarding Program

The first rule of program evaluations is to always align program success

with organizational success. In the case of manager onboarding, it can be
accomplished in many ways. The good news is that there’s a possibility the
human resources department is already calculating a metric that aligns manager
onboarding with the business.

From a quantitative standpoint, measurements such as manager turnover and

manager length of employment could be immediate indicators of program
success. If managers feel they are better prepared for the role, they might
stay longer in the position. It’s also possible that managers might mention the
program during engagement surveys, pulse surveys, or onboarding check-ins.

Furthermore, don’t discount the value of qualitative feedback. Managers might

provide valuable comments during orientation, onboarding, or stay interviews.
While sometimes it’s hard to put numbers to these stories, when combining
the quantitative and qualitative information, it can paint a definitive picture of
success. As well as provide a justification for additional resources to maintain
and upgrade the program.

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The Connected Organization

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Organizations Should Focus on Connections

It’s not enough just to create employee engagement. Organizations need to

create connection. Building connections helps individuals perform at a high level.
It helps the organization achieve its goals and benefit the bottom-line. And goal
accomplishment brings value to the organization and individuals. That strengthens
the connection.

The primary role that will be responsible for creating connection is management.
Give managers the tools they need to be successful — on their first day through
a manager onboarding program — so the organization doesn’t take steps back
every time someone is promoted into a new manager role.

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Additional Resources

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References

Employee Engagement on the Rise in the U.S., Jim Harter, Gallup, August 26, 2018,
https://news.gallup.com/poll/241649/employee-engagement-rise.aspx

Engagement or Connection: Why the Connected Workplace Might Be Better, HR Bartender, September 10, 2019,
https://www.hrbartender.com/2019/employee-engagement/connected-workplace/

Want to Improve Productivity? Hire Better Managers, Vipula Gandhi, Gallup, August 3, 2018,
https://www.gallup.com/workplace/238103/improve-productivity-hire-better-managers.aspx

Resources

Webinars

5 ways to make better How to apply agile practices The guidance, navigation
team connections to talent acquisition and control of work

eBooks

How to get your company How visualization builds 5 ways to create

onboard with onboarding better strategic plans team alignment

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 About MindManager
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Task & Project Planning Knowledge Management Brainstorming

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